How One News Organization Handled the Edwards and Giuliani Stories

This is what the Associated Press wrote today about John Edwards' decision to drop out of the presidential race.

The AP said Edwards was — "ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies."

It added that — "Edwards waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the stunning blow of his wife's recurring cancer diagnosis."

And here's what the AP said about Rudy Giuliani — "Once the Republican presidential front-runner, Giuliani suffered a debilitating defeat in Tuesday's Florida primary." "Tuesday's result was a remarkable collapse for Giuliani... Florida proved to be less than hospitable."

King of All Media

Bill Clinton's attacks on Barack Obama earned him more media coverage than any Republican presidential candidate last week.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism reports Mr. Clinton was the focus of 18 percent of the campaign stories in major media. The closest Republican was Rudy Giuliani at 14 percent.

And an update on a story we told you a few weeks ago about residents of Brattleboro, Vermont who want to arrest President Bush and Vice President Cheney if they ever visit. A petition with more than 400 signatures was submitted last week — and so the question will be on the ballot March 4.

But the town clerk says she is getting so many nasty complaints that the town office stopped answering its phones Monday. One caller from Minnesota said he'd like to see terrorists cut off the heads of town officials. Other criticisms have been a bit more tame — such as calling residents "wackjobs" and "nuts."